I was born and raised in a mid-sized southwestern Georgia community (Albany, Georgia). I entered school a few years after the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court landmark decision Brown v. Board of Education, which declared segregation in education unconstitutional.

I was born and raised in a mid-sized southwestern Georgia community (Albany, Georgia). I entered school a few years after the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court landmark decision Brown v. Board of Education, which declared segregation in education unconstitutional. Before school desegregation, African American parents had a place in the school. They felt comfortable coming and going to the school at their leisure. I want to make the point here that segregation was unequal, unfair, and wrong because the textbooks, equipment, and supplementary materials were often outdated and inferior to what was provided at all white schools. Despite this, African American schools often implemented a curriculum that reflected high standards and compelled their students to exceed expectations to be successful in the “real world.” My mother was president of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) throughout my entire six years of elementary school, which meant that my sister and I had to attend all of the PTA meetings. My mama’s commitment to bridging the gap between home and school has shaped my understanding of what it means for families to be involved in their children’s educational lives.

This essay and portrait is part of a community-art and leadership project called “wdydwyd?” Tony Deifell (KNLP-16) invited his colleagues in the Kellogg Fellowship to reflect on what motivates them to follow their personal and professional paths by answering the question, “Why do you do what you do?”


“wdydwyd?” has reached over 1.5 million people worldwide and it has been used for team-building at Google, Twitter, many colleges and universities, nonprofits and K-12 classrooms. And, according to Wired Magazine, “In Silicon Valley, that question has been the hottest team-building meme since Outward Bound – and it’s spreading.” For more information: http://wdydwyd.com/leadership.


Did you like this article? Share it with your friends!